Netizen 24 CAN: Trump financial disclosure lists Cohen reimbursement

Trump financial disclosure lists Cohen reimbursement U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time that he repaid his attorney Michael Cohen for a payment of at least $100,001 US made to a "third party" in 2016, according to ethics disclosures signed by the president that were released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

The U.S. Government Office of Ethics has released President Donald Trump's personal financial disclosure form for 2017. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged for the first time that he repaid his lawyer Michael Cohen for a payment of at least $100,001 US made to a "third party" in 201 6, according to ethics disclosures signed by the president that were released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

Cohen made a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, shortly before the Nov. 8, 2016, presidential election in exchange for her staying silent about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

Read the full document from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics here

Trump's new disclosure statement did not describe the purpose or the recipient of the 2016 payment made by Cohen.

But the acting director of the ethics office, David Apol, in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said it should have been disclosed in ethics documents that Trump filed in June 2017. Apol's letter was released with the Trump disclosures.

The ethics office is a government watchdog that provides oversight of the executive branch program designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest.

In April, Trump told reporters he did not know anything about the payment. On May 2, Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who joined Trump's personal legal team in April, said that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the payment.

Cohen has publicly acknowledged paying Clifford, saying he obtained the cash through a line of credit on his home.

Public financial disclosure reports, which are filed annually, were due on Tuesday for more than 25,000 senior executive branch officials, the Office of Government Ethics said.

In April, the FBI raided Cohen's offices and home as part of a criminal investigation, drawing Trump's ire. The ethics disclosure also c ontained information on Trump's personal businesses.

For instance, it showed that Trump received more than $25 million in income in 2017 from Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Fla., and more than $15 million in income from his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

Trump spends time and vacations at both clubs.

While Trump's annual ethics disclosure reveals information about his personal finances, it lacks details of the sort found in an income tax return. Unlike past presidents of both parties in recent decades, Trump has refused to release his tax returns.